The United Methodist Church has begun its 10-day General Conference in Portland, Oregon.

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The Conference will consider resolutions to join other mainline Protestant denominations in divesting from three American corporate giants, Caterpillar, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard.

These companies profit from businesses that operate inside the occupied Palestinian territories. The UMC resolutions are aimed directly at the American companies, a tactic which worked well to reshape the government of South Africa.

The state of Israel hides behind "anti-Semitism" as it fights these divestment efforts. This often-used fear tactic originates in Israel and spreads like a virus deliberately introduced into different settings.

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The tactic came up in recent British elections. When the "anti-Semitism" trope is on the table, you know Israel is afraid of being exposed as a fraud. Israel has never been the "only democracy in the region." Instead, as Ilan Pappe writes, Israel is "the last remaining, active settler-colonialist project."

Since its creation as a modern state, Israel has been guilty of immoral conduct and international crimes against the indigenous Palestinian population.

To defeat resolutions which support BDS, or at least water them down to "kum ba ya" meetings, Israel called on two leaders of U.S. pro-Israel organizations -- the Israel Action Network and the Jewish Federations of North America.

Their task: Write a "please help" letter to Hillary Clinton, a United Methodist Church member since childhood.

"Particularly at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the world, we need to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people.

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"Anti-Semitism has no place in any civilized society -- not in America, not in Europe, not anywhere. We must never tire in defending Israel's legitimacy, expanding security and economic ties, and taking our alliance to the next level.

"Please know that I am grateful for your work, and that I stand ready to be your partner as we engage all people of good faith -- regardless of their political persuasion or their views on policy specifics -- in explaining why the BDS campaign is counterproductive to the pursuit of peace and harmful to Israelis and Palestinians alike..."

Well, that was not helpful.

The candidate almost certain to be our next president, announces to the world that as president, she will stand with Israel. Furthermore, she will make "countering BDS a priority."

Hillary Clinton is not a PEP (Progressive except on Palestine). She is nowhere close to being a Progressive. She is closer to being a neoconservative.

James Wall served as a Contributing Editor of The Christian Century magazine, based in Chicago, Illinois, from 1999 through 2017. From 1972 through 1999, he was editor and publisher of the Christian Century magazine. Many sources have influenced (more...)